All set for a nationwide protest against Walmart which is scheduled to start from Monday April 7 to April 14. The People Union USA is said to lead the demonstration. The union was formed in early months of the year which accuses the corporate giant of augmenting corporate greed and political corruption, especially after Walmart’s decision to do away with all its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.
This protest is going to be in addition to a continuous economic protesting pattern which is aimed at major corporations in the U.S. Organizers are calling Americans to stay away from Walmart during the said week and patronize local businesses instead.
Read: What is the largest Walmart store in the US, how big is it, and where is it located?
Reasons for protesting against Walmart
The largest retailer in the world, Walmart announced the rollback of its DEI initiatives in November 2024. The chain and its partners in the center for racial equity that was formed as a result of the death of George Floyd ended a funding commitment of five years. An end to the selection of suppliers based on race and gender will now be part of the coming in policy of the company notwithstanding race or gender inclusion considerations in serving surveys for LGBTQ+ employees.
Such initiatives have drawn flak from activists, who argue that it is the collective duty of such large firms to ensure that they build workplace diversity and indulge in the upliftment of the community among the underrepresented.
Read now: Costco confirms it will close its 617 branches for 24 hours – Watch out for upcoming closure dates.
What makes this boycott different
People’s Union USA is not a stranger to organizing boycotts. Earlier this year, the group coordinated a national boycott against Target and Amazon, over their scaling down of DEI programs. Now this Walmart protest extends the condemnation to corporate greed and political corruption as broader issues.
“Any American can agree that regardless of what side of the political fence you stand, corporate greed and political corruption choke this country,” reads a post from its website. The group encourages recess in purchasing activities and encourages going to small local parts.
Retailers’ effect thus far:
Retail data by Numerator and reports from SuperMarketNews indicate that Walmart has fared better than its competitors in previous boycotts. In a protest on February 28, traffic on the web declined by 9 percent in Target as opposed to 5 for Walmart and 2 for Amazon. Analysts are of the opinion that the multicultural customer base of Walmart may make the company more resistant to such protests as they may be less likely to react to the DEI-related protests.
Future boycott dates
Founder of People’s Union USA, John Schwarz, compiled a calendar of upcoming boycotts against major retailers. The dates include:
- Walmart: April 7-14 and May 20-26
- Second National Economic Blackout: April 18
- General Mills: April 21-28
- Amazon: May 6-12
- Target: June 3-9
- McDonald’s: June 24-30
- Independence Day Boycott: July 4
These measly initiatives are involving various movements to create a sort of operation disruption to educate people about equity, fairness, and political influence in business.
Concluding thoughts
Yet to see whether these boycotts would achieve any weighted shift in corporate policies or not. However, the rising number of such protests simply states that a major segment of Americans is open to considering the use of their buying power to voice protests. As of now, at the epicenter of that debate is Walmart.
